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d.Arians had said that rookie Logan T
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导出博客文章ATLANTA -- Major League Soccer is closing in on a deal with Falcons owner Arthur Blank to bring an expansion franchise to Atlantas new downtown stadium. Mark Walton Bengals Jersey . The team would likely begin play in 2017, when the $1 billion retractable roof stadium is set to open next to the Georgia Dome to provide a new home for the NFL Falcons. "Our discussions with Major League Soccer continue, but we do not have a final agreement at this time," Kim Shreckengost, the chief administrative officer for Blanks AMB Group, said Tuesday in an email to The Associated Press. "We hope to complete the agreement soon, at which time we will make a formal announcement." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that a new team will be announced April 16. "We are continuing discussions with Arthur Blank to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to Atlanta," said Dan Courtemanche, a spokesman for MLS. "However, we have not finalized an agreement at this time." The MLS has long coveted the Atlanta market, the largest in the U.S. without a team, as it moves toward its goal of expanding to 24 franchises. The 19-team league has already announced expansion franchises in New York City and Orlando that are scheduled to begin play next season, in addition to a provisional franchise in Miami owned by a group that includes David Beckham. That team is contingent on a deal for a new soccer-specific stadium in south Florida. There are no such concerns in Atlanta, where the Falcons new stadium was designed to accommodate an MLS team, providing Blank with additional revenue streams for the elaborate facility. While most MLS teams are moving toward smaller stadiums that are built solely for soccer, the Atlanta franchise would follow the model of teams in Seattle and Vancouver, which play in larger facilities downsized to provide a more intimate setting. For instance, Vancouvers BC Place has a curtain system that blocks off the upper deck, reducing capacity from 54,000 to 21,000. Atlantas new stadium will likely have a similar capability. Atlanta had two franchises in the old North American Soccer League. The Chiefs won the leagues first championship in 1968 but folded after the 1973 season, having spent their final year known as the Apollos. The Chiefs returned to the NASL in 1979 when the Colorado Caribous moved to Atlanta. That incarnation lasted only three seasons, never drawing as many as 8,000 fans a game before folding due to heavy financial losses. Atlanta has a team in a new version of the NASL, a league that ranks below MLS on the U.S. soccer ladder. The Silverbacks play at a 7,500-seat stadium on the outskirts of the city and are apparently not involved in talks on the MLS expansion team. Sam Hubbard Jersey .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge. Malik Jefferson Bengals Jersey . "It was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms," he said of his first game against the Boston Celtics.TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona Cardinals went back to work Thursday amid media reports that coach Bruce Arians has changed his mind and decided to start Ryan Lindley at quarterback Sunday in the regular-season finale at San Francisco.Arians does not talk to reporters Thursday and offensive co-ordinator Harold Goodwin was not forthcoming about the reported quarterback switch.I guess well see on Sunday, Goodwin said.Arians had said that rookie Logan Thomas would get his first NFL start against the 49ers but apparently didnt like what he saw in Wednesdays practice.Lindley was working with the No. 1 unit in the brief portion of Thursdays practice that was open to reporters.Azcentral.com, which includes The Arizona Republic, first reported the quarterback switch.Lindley started last week against Seattle and had a tough day in the Cardinals 35-6 loss. He is filling in for Drew Stanton, who took over when Carson Palmer went down with a season-ending knee injury. Billy Price Bengals Jersey. Stanton sprained his right knee two games ago in St. Louis and the Cardinals remain hopeful he will be able to play in the playoffs.Thomas, a fourth-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech with a strong arm but erratic accuracy, would have been the fourth starting quarterback for the Cardinals, who at 11-3 are tied with the Seahawks for first in the NFC West but lose the tiebreaker by virtue of two losses to the Seahawks.Arizona still has a chance to win the NFC West if the Cardinals beat the 49ers and St. Louis upsets the Seahawks in Seattle.A more probable scenario has Arizona finishing with the No. 5 seed in the NFC and a first-round game at either Carolina or Atlanta.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Authentic Jerseys Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL T-shirts Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Discount NFL Jerseys ' ' '